All 43 notable FX original TV shows, ranked from worst to best by critics -- from 'Atlanta' to 'The Americans'

Since it scored a breakout hit with “The Shield” in the early 2000s, FX has consistently developed some of the best shows on television.

With “Atlanta” back and other critical hits returning soon – such as “The Americans” on March 28 for its final season, and “Legion” on April 3 – we decided to take a look at FX’s best shows of all time.

Going back through the years, Business Insider ranked all of the network’s 43 notable original shows based on how well they were received by critics (using data from the reviews aggregator Metacritic). We also excluded variety and reality programs.

If the shows had more than one season, we determined the final scores by taking an average of all seasons.

One thing that clearly stands out is that FX has only gotten better with age. The network has been a formidable player at the Emmys and other awards ceremonies in recent years, and that’s reflected in our list. Six of the top 10 shows began within the last five years.

Below are 43 FX original shows, ranked worst to best according to critics:

43. “Saint George”

FX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2014

Metacritic score: 31

George Lopez’s comedy didn’t have what it takes to land with critics or audiences.

42. “Testees”

FX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2008

Metacritic score: 37

In this show, two guys act as subjects in a testing facility for extra cash, but the comedic premise didn’t help its chances of not getting canceled.

41. “Dirt”

FX

Number of seasons: 2

Years aired: 2007-2008

Metacritic score: 40

Courtney Cox plays a tabloid reporter trying to dig up celebrity secrets, but the show couldn’t dig up an audience, and was canceled after two seasons.

40. (TIE) “Chozen”

FX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2014

Metacritic score: 44

The animated comedy follows a gay white rapper as he’s released from prison and reevaluates his life.

40. (TIE) “Partners”

FX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2014

Metacritic score: 44

Kelsey Grammar and Martin Lawrence starred in this comedy about two lawyers, but even that power duo couldn’t keep it on the air.

38. (TIE) “Anger Management”

FX

Number of seasons: 2

Years aired: 2012-2014

Metacritic score: 44

Loosely based on the film starring Adam Sandler, Charlie Sheen stepped into the role this time of a former pro baseball player seeing a therapist.

37. “Unsupervised”

FX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2012

Metacritic score: 46

“Unsupervised,” even as an animated teenage comedy, couldn’t establish itself as a must-watch and was canceled after one season.

36. “Married”

FX

Number of seasons: 2

Years aired: 2014-2015

Metacritic score: 52

The series follows two people trying to save their marriage, but the series itself couldn’t be salvaged.

35. “The Bastard Executioner”

FX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2015

Metacritic score: 55

This political sword-and-sandals drama, about a warrior knight who is forced back into a conflict after putting down his sword, could be seen as trying to cash in on the success of “Game of Thrones.” It didn’t work.

34. “The Comedians”

FX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2015

Metacritic score: 57

Even with Billy Crystal starring, and Josh Gad coming off the success of “Frozen,” this comedy only lasted one season.

33. “The League”

FX

Number of seasons: 7

Years aired: 2009-2015

Metacritic score: 57.5

The series started out on FX and eventually moved to FXX in its later seasons, and focuses on a group of friends in a fantasy football league.

32. “Tyrant”

FX

Number of seasons: 3

Years aired: 2014-2016

Metacritic score: 59

“Tyrant,” despite poor reviews, lasted three seasons. The son of a Middle Eastern dictator living in America returns to his country, but is roped into political intrigue when his father dies.

31. “Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll”

FX

Number of seasons: 2

Years aired: 2015-2016

Metacritic score: 60

After “Rescue Me” ended, Denis Leary attempted to find further FX success in this lacklustre drama about a washed up, drug-addicted rock performer who tries to get back into the spotlight.

30. (TIE) “Snowfall”

FXDamson Idris on ‘Snowfall.’

Number of seasons: 1 (renewed for second season)

Years aired: 2017-present

Metacritic score: 62

Set during the crack cocaine epidemic in 1980s Los Angeles, “Snowfall” has been renewed for a second season despite sub-par reviews for its first.

30. (TIE) “Wilfred”

FX

Number of seasons: 4

Years aired: 2011-2014

Metacritic score: 62

Based on an Australian series about a man who befriends a dog (who he sees as a man in a dog suit), it found new life in its final season on FXX.

28. “The Strain”

FX

Number of seasons: 4

Years aired: 2014-2017

Metacritic score: 66.7

A vampire virus breaks out in New York. The series ended last year with season 4.

27. “Taboo”

Robert Viglasky/FX

Number of seasons: 1 (renewed for second season)

Years aired: 2017-present

Metacritic score: 67

Tom Hardy’s weird period drama set in 1800s London will return for a second season on FX in the U.S. and BBC1 in the U.K.

26. “The Riches”

FX

Number of seasons: 2

Years aired: 2007-2008

Metacritic score: 68.5

Minnie Driver starred in this drama about a family of outlaws who hide in plain sight in a suburban town.

25. “Thief”

FX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2006

Metacritic score: 71

This mini-series followed Andre Braugher as a thief who is an expert in heists but a failure in his personal life.

24. (TIE) “Nip/Tuck”

FX

Number of seasons: 6

Years aired: 2003-2010

Metacritic score: 72

Ryan Murphy’s drama focused on two plastic surgeons, played by Julian McMahon and Dylan Walsh, whose differing lives put them at odds – one a family man, the other a bachelor.

24. (TIE) “The Bridge”

FX

Number of seasons: 2

Years aired: 2013-2014

Metacritic score: 72

Based on a Scandinavian series, two detectives work together to investigate a serial killer.

22. “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”

FX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2018

Metacritic score: 74

The second instalment in Ryan Murphy’s anthology series “American Crime Story” isn’t getting rave reviews like its predecessor, “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” but that was hard to live up to.

21. (TIE) “Legit

FX

Number of seasons: 2

Years aired: 2013-2014

Metacritic score: 75

The Jim Jeffries comedy, in which Jim Jeffries plays a dramatized version of himself, moved to FXX in its second season, but wasn’t renewed for more.

21. (TIE) “Terriers”

FOX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2010

Metacritic score: 75

“Terriers,” about two friends who open their own investigative agency, gained a small but loyal following during its one-season run, but unfortunately didn’t survive past that.

19. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”

Michael Buckner/Getty

Number of seasons: 12 (renewed for season 13 on FXX)

Years aired: 2005-present

Metacritic score: 75.2

“Always Sunny” is FX’s (now on FXX) longest-running series, and one of the longest running live-action comedies of all time.

18. “Baskets”

‘Baskets’/FXLouie Anderson on FX’s ‘Baskets.’

Number of seasons: 3

Years aired: 2016-present

Metacritic score: 75.5

Zach Galifianakis plays Chip Baskets, a guy trying to fulfil his dream of being a professional clown. It’s currently in its third season.

17. “Sons of Anarchy”

FX

Number of seasons: 7

Years aired: 2008-2014

Metacritic score: 76.1

Ron Perlman and Charlie Hunnam starred in this crime drama centered around a lawless motorcycle gang in a fictional California town.

16. “American Horror Story”

FX

Number of seasons: 7 (renewed for eighth season)

Years aired: 2011-present

Metacritic score: 77.5

Ryan Murphy’s anthology series tackles various horror tropes throughout its semi-connected seasons, such as a haunted house, a witch coven, a carnival freak show, and cults.

15. “Archer”

FX

Number of seasons: 7 (renewed through season 10 on FXX)

Years aired: 2009-present

Metacritic score: 78.3

The animated spy-spoof has been renewed for three more seasons on FXX, so it’s not going away any time soon.

14. “Damages”

FX Network

Number of seasons: 5

Years aired: 2007-2012

Metacritic score: 78.8

A no-nonsense attorney played by Glenn Close takes a law school graduate played by Rose Byrne under her wing during a custody trial for her granddaughter.

13. (TIE) “Lights Out”

FX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2011

Metacritic score: 79

Holt McCallany can be seen now in Netflix’s “Mindhunter,” but in 2011, he starred in one season of FX’s “Lights Out,” in which he plays a former heavyweight boxing champion.

13. (TIE) “You’re the Worst”

FXX

Number of seasons: 4 (renewed for fifth season on FXX)

Years aired: 2014-present

Metacritic score: 79

Two people terrible at relationships must navigate other people while consistently being pulled back to each other. Its fifth and final season will air this year.

11. “Feud: Bette and Joan”

FX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2017

Metacritic score: 81

The first season of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series “Feud,” which highlights famous rivalries, focused on the escalating tension between actresses Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.

10. “Legion”

FX‘Legion’ star Dan Stevens.

Number of seasons: 1 (Second season premieres in April)

Years aired: 2017-present

Metacritic score: 82

Based on a Marvel Comics X-Men character created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bill Sienkiewicz, the trippy Noah Hawley adaptation returns April 3 for a second season.

9. “Rescue Me”

FX

Number of seasons: 7

Years aired: 2004-2011

Metacritic score: 84

Denis Leary portrayed a self-destructive firefighter in post-9/11 New York.

8. “Justified”

Prashant Gupta/FX

Number of seasons: 6

Years aired: 2010-2015

Metacritic score: 87.1

Timothy Olyphant plays a marshall whose old-school ways get him reassigned to his economically struggling hometown in Kentucky.

7. “Louie”

FX

Number of seasons: 5

Years aired: 2010-2015

Metacritic score: 87.4

Louis C.K.’s “Louie,” and C.K.’s humour, can be looked back on in an entirely different sense in the aftermath of sexual misconduct allegations made against the actor and comedian in November.

6. “Better Things”

FXPamela Adlon in FX comedy ‘Better Things.’

Number of seasons: 2 (renewed for third season)

Years aired: 2016-present

Metacritic score: 88

Pamela Adlon’s series where she plays a struggling actress trying to raise a family was co-created by Louis C.K. But the show stands on its own without him, and will be returning this year.

5. “The Shield”

FX

Number of seasons: 7

Years aired: 2002-2008

Metacritic score: 88.5

Michael Chiklis played a Los Angeles cop willing to bend the rules in a police department full of dirty officers.

4. “The Americans”

FX

Number of seasons: 5 (The sixth and final season premieres this month)

Years aired: 2013-2018

Metacritic score: 89.4

Two Russian spies – played by Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys – attempt to balance their dangerous work with raising a family in America.

3. (TIE) “Fargo”

FX

Number of seasons: 3 (fourth season expected in 2019)

Years aired: 2014-present

Metacritic score: 90

Noah Hawley’s anthology series based on the 1996 film is expected to return in 2019, though no details have been revealed.

3. (TIE) “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”

FX

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2015

Metacritic score: 90

Ryan Murphy’s first instalment of the “American Crime Story” anthology series – which tells the story behind the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial – swept the 2016 Emmys. It can now be binge-watched on Netflix.

1. “Atlanta”

Matthias Clamer/FX

Number of seasons: 2 (second season currently airing)

Years aired: 2016-present

Metacritic score: 93.5

Donald Glover’s hit dramedy recently returned with “Atlanta: Robbin’ Season,” its second season. It currently airs on FX on Thursdays at 10 p.m.